FLAMES NEED A WIN

Starting the season at 1-2, Liberty has dropped below .500 for the first time since September 2019. Now, the Flames go into two games against in-state opponents, James Madison and Old Dominion, in games where Liberty looks like it will be the underdog. Could the team be staring a 1-4 start in the face? How would the team respond to that bit of adversity? How will they respond to coming off back-to-back losses? It all begins Saturday against the JMU Dukes as the Battle for the Blue Ridge rivalry begins.

“These next two weeks are teams that you consider rivalry teams because they are relatively close to you,” said Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell. “They are the closest teams to you. It’s huge from an in-state, just to get recognition. It still matters. High school kids, we’re all recruiting the state of Virginia. Just from an alumni and fan base, these teams have played in the past that they recognize and you want to win, that’s huge from that standpoint. Most importantly, we just need to win. It doesn’t matter who’s out there, we need to win. They are obviously a really, really good team that could give us some confidence we need to have as we are continuing to find our way, so to speak.”

The Flames are currently 9.5 point underdogs at home against the Dukes this Saturday. Liberty is 14-1 at Williams Stadium under Chadwell.

“Hopefully we can get a good victory and hopefully it propels us to some better things,” Chadwell stated. “I think that’s most important to what we need to do. We need to go play well. We’ve not really played well.”

NEED A FAST START

Liberty has trailed at some point in each of its last 17 games, posting a 10-7 record in the stretch. The last time Liberty led wire to wire was Nov. 25, 2023 in that season’s regular season finale in a 42-28 victory at UTEP. Throughout 2024, the Flames fell behind due to slow starts. Fortunately, the team was able to mount comebacks in several of those contests, most notably the large come from behind wins against New Mexico State and East Carolina.

The slow starts have plagued the team again this season. Liberty has scored 24 points in the first three quarters of the team’s first three games, that’s an average of 2.67 points per quarter. In the three fourth quarters, the Flames have scored 41 points, good for an average of 13.67 points per game. We have not seen what this team looks like when playing from in front, and, playing from ahead, may be something the team needs from a confidence standpoint after two straight losses.

“We’re not as bad as what our play has shown,” Chadwell said earlier this week. “They have practiced well. Their mindset has been well. They know they have to improve. They’ve stayed together and are committed to getting us out of the rut.”

SUN BELT SUCCESS

Liberty has had tremendous success all-time against the Sun Belt and will put that success on the line over the next two weeks taking on James Madison and Old Dominion, which both teams are expected to compete in the Sun Belt’s East Division. The Flames are 10-3 against Sun Belt foes, having won three straight.

Coach Chadwell has also been really good against Sun Belt teams. He was the 2020 Sun Belt Coach of the Year during his time at Coastal Carolina. He went a combined 20-4 in Sun Belt play in his last three years with the Chanticleers and is 1-0 so far at Liberty against Sun Belt teams.

Chadwell is 0-1 all-time against JMU as a head coach as his Coastal Carolina Chanticleers fell, 47-7, in Harrisonburg on Nov. 26, 2022. That meeting with James Madison was Chadwell’s final regular season game at the helm of Coastal Carolina. He then coached Coastal in the Sun Belt Championship Game before being named the 10th head coach in Liberty football history on Dec. 4, 2022.

INJURY REPORT

Here’s an update on Liberty’s current injury situation:

  • LT Trey Bedosky exited the Jax State game and did not return. He was noticeably limping on the sidelines and did not play this past week at Bowling Green. At practice earlier this week, Bedosky was not participating and was seen with a brace on his right knee.
  • Joker CJ Bazile was injured at Jax State and left the game in the first half, not to return. He made the trip to Bowling Green and went through some pregame warmups but did not play after being listed as questionable. He was a participant in practice earlier this week.
  • DL Markus Clark did not play at Bowling Green. He was not a participant in practice earlier this week.
  • Backup QB Ryan Burger is done for the season as he is medically retiring due to repeated concussions.
  • Backup C Cal Grubbs suffered an injury late during training camp and is out for the season.